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May 2015

Political Affairs Brief The 2015 General Election Results in

Scottish Council of Jewish Communities (SCoJeC)

Contents Overview MPs Useful Links

Overview of the election result in Scotland As widely predicted, the SNP achieved overwhelming success in the UK General Election, winning 56 out of the 59 Westminster seats in Scotland. (The Conservatives, Labour, and Liberal Democrats each won a single seat.) The reasons for the scale of this victory remain unclear, but it is evident that the vote was not primarily related to , since turnout figures imply that as many as 10% of people who voted No in last year's Referendum voted for the SNP in the General Election. The explanation may be that there is wide support for increased within the framework of the Union. (There is credible speculation that this option would have won had it been included on the Referendum ballot paper.) If so, the General Election result may have been a response to the SNP’s election slogan of “a stronger voice for Scotland”, a call that has been frustrated by the Conservatives’ overall majority, which means that Scotland’s voice at Westminster is likely to be significant only in Committees. (They are expected to be allotted two convenerships as well as seats on all Committees). Although many of the new Scottish MPs have experience either as local councillors or on the staff of other MPs or MSPs, others have very little background either as members of the SNP or in politics more generally, only having joined the party during or after the Referendum campaign. As a result very little is known about them, and it is likely that many of these were not expected to win a seat by their constituency party or head office, so the selection process may not have been as rigorous as it might otherwise have been. The impact of the election result in Scotland For Jewish (and other) people in Scotland the result is likely to have little real impact because almost all of day-to-day life in Scotland is already governed from (currently an SNP administration with an overall majority in the ). And since the Conservatives have an overall majority in Westminster, Reserved matters will be determined without any significant SNP influence. It is important also to note that even if this result were to be replicated in the Scottish elections in May 2016, it would not result in any significant change in the political landscape within Scotland: first because the SNP already have a working majority in the Scottish Parliament, with 69 of the 129 seats, and secondly, under the d’Hondt system of proportional representation, constituency seats count towards the proportional allocation, so that a party that wins all the constituency seats and receives 50% of the votes in the(second) party list ballot, is likely to be awarded few if any of the regional seats, leaving the composition much as it is at present.

Scottish Council of Jewish Communities (SCIO no. SC029438) May 2015 The SNP and Israel However perception is as important as reality, and there is considerable concern in the Scottish Jewish community about what seems to be instinctive support in both SNP and the party for pro-Palestinian positions without apparent regard to how extreme or otherwise these positions may be. This polarised perception frequently results in supporters of a two-state solution, which implies Israel’s legitimacy and right to security alongside a state of Palestine, being portrayed as “Zionist” enemies of the Palestinian cause. Much of this instinctive support relies not only on sympathy for the perceived underdog, and perceived equivalence between Palestinians and Scotland as small nations both seeking independence from a more powerful neighbour, but also the obfuscation, deliberate or naïve, of the distinction between “the Palestinians” as an ethnic group (of whom 1.65 million are Israeli citizens), and the inhabitants of the West Bank and Gaza who are residents of a possible future State of Palestine. Conversely, much of the rhetoric capitalises on conflation of Israel, the Israeli government, and Israelis – and Jews. One of the more worrying phenomena in Scotland during both the Referendum and the General Election campaign was the overlap between the most aggressive manifestations of nationalism and anti-Zionism. , in particular, was subjected to vicious personal abuse calling him a “war criminal”, a “supporter of mass murder”, because of his support for Israel, and there was a call to “make Scotland a Zionist-free zone”. One pro-SNP leaflet boasted that “Westminster leaders grovel to Israel [but] in Scotland there are no SNP ‘Friends of Israel’”, although it should be noted that the SNP Friends of Palestine is not officially recognised by the Party. Because many of the new MPs are new to politics, it will take time to discover how many of them have bought into this polarised narrative, but it should be borne in mind that there are also firm friends of Israel within the SNP such as the Ewing family (Winnie is President of the Party, and Fergus and Annabelle are both Ministers in the ), and one of the new MPs, , has written numerous articles in the press that are favourable to Israel. However, almost immediately after the General Election, the First Minister, , was quoted as having sent a message of support to a conference calling for an embargo on arms sales to Israel, and repeating Scottish Government policy first articulated in summer 2014, that it supports an embargo and has lobbied the UK Government to that effect. She has since written to SCoJeC that rather than supporting the conference, she declined an invitation “using a standard form of wording … and as such was not a Scottish Government endorsement of the event”, and reiterating support for a two-state solution.

The SNP and the Jewish Community It is important to note that antipathy to Israel, however strong, does not equate with antipathy to the Jewish Community on matters of practical concern in Scotland. The current SNP administration have been as sympathetic as previous Labour-led coalitions to the Community’s concerns about practical matters as varied as tackling hate crime, divorce law (gittin), the Jewish primary school in , Holocaust education and restitution, expediting burials, etc – if anything more so, since concern to understand the concerns of Jewish people led them to fund SCoJeC’s 2012 Being Jewish in Scotland inquiry, and this year What’s Changed about Being Jewish in Scotland, which examines new concerns and anxieties since summer 2014. Many of the MSPs who support the Community on domestic matters are outspokenly critical of Israeli Government policy, and it is, therefore, important for the Community that they continue to distinguish between these issues, and do not act as if “the friend of my enemy is my enemy” by allowing their antipathy to Israel to prejudice them against the needs of local Jewish people. 2 Scottish Council of Jewish Communities 2 May 2015 MPs The information below about each MP is in alphabetical order according to name. To find a particular constituency, please click on the relevant link. North Aberdeen South

Aberdeenshire West & Kincardine Airdrie & Shotts Angus Argyll & Bute , Carrick & Cumnock Ayrshire Central Ayrshire North & Arran Banff & Buchan Berwickshire, Roxburgh & Selkirk Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross , Chryston & Bellshill Cumbernauld, Kilsyth & Kirkintilloch East Dumfries & Galloway Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweeddale Dunbartonshire West East Dundee West & West , Strathaven & Lesmahagow East Lothian Edinburgh East Edinburgh North & Leith Edinburgh South Edinburgh South West Edinburgh West Fife North East Glasgow Central Glasgow East Glasgow North Glasgow North East Glasgow North West Glasgow South Glasgow South West Gordon Inverclyde , , Badenoch & Strathspey & Loudoun Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath & Hamilton East & Falkirk East Livingston Midlothian Moray Motherwell & Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Western Isles) Ochil & South & Paisley & North Paisley & Renfrewshire South Perth & North Perthshire Renfrewshire East Ross, Skye & Lochaber & Hamilton West

3 Scottish Council of Jewish Communities 3 May 2015 A

Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh (Ochil & South Perthshire, SNP) Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh has previously worked as a lawyer, journalist, film actress, and model. She founded and is Chair of the Scottish Asian Women’s Association, and received the OBE in 2014 for services to business and to Scotland’s Asian community. She was previously a member of the Labour party, and has stood for the Scottish Parliament as a Conservative candidate.

Responsibilities and contact details SNP Westminster Group Leader on Trade and Investment telephone: 020 7219 5588 e-mail: [email protected] : https://twitter.com/TasminaSheikh facebook: www.facebook.com/TasminaforOchilandSouthPerthsire

Richard Arkless (Dumfries & Galloway, SNP) has worked as a lawyer, and currently runs an online business.

Contact details telephone: 020 7219 6959 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/@ArklessRichard facebook: www.facebook.com/RichardArklessSNP website: www.richardarkless.scot/

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Hannah Bardell (Livingston, SNP) worked as office manager for between 2007 and 2010, and has also worked as assistant to MEP. She previously worked as a television producer at STV and GMTV, and as events organiser for the American Consulate in Edinburgh.

Responsibilities and contact details SNP Westminster Group Leader on Fair Work and Employment telephone: 020 7219 5907 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/hannahb4livimp facebook: www.facebook.com/hannah.bardell.5

Contents Constituency List 4 Scottish Council of Jewish Communities 4 May 2015

Mhairi Black (Paisley & Renfrewshire South, SNP) is a final year student of Politics and Public Policy at the , and is the youngest person to have been elected as an MP since the 17th century. She is a member of SNP Friends of Palestine.

Contact details telephone: 020 7219 5558 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/mhairi1921 facebook: www.facebook.com/Mhairi.Black.SNP

Ian Blackford (Ross, Skye & Lochaber, SNP) is a crofter, and has previously worked as an investment banker. He has been SNP national treasurer but was suspended in 2000 following a motion of no confidence, after which he accused Alex Salmond of having misused party funds and threatened to sue him for defamation.

Responsibilities and contact details SNP Westminster Spokesperson on Pensions telephone: 020 7219 5292 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/iblackfordskye facebook: www.facebook.com/IanBlackford.SNP website: http://ianblackford.com

Kirsty Blackman (Aberdeen North, SNP) has been a councillor on for the last eight years, and is currently Convener of the SNP Group. She has previously held posts as Council Spokesperson for Education, and Convener of the Licensing Committee. She has worked as to MSP and MSP.

Responsibilities and contact details SNP Westminster Spokesperson on the telephone: 020 7219 8791 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/abdnnorthkirsty facebook: www.facebook.com/aberdeennorth

Contents Constituency List 5 Scottish Council of Jewish Communities 5 May 2015

Philip Boswell (Coatbridge, Chryston & Bellshill, SNP) Philip Boswell currently works as a quantity surveyor and contracts engineer in the oil industry.

Contact details telephone: 020 7219 8059 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/@philboswellsnp facebook: www.facebook.com/PhilBoswellSNP

Deidre Brock (Edinburgh North & Leith, SNP) has been a councillor on Edinburgh City Council for the last eight years. She is a member of the Transport & Environment, Education, Children and Families, and Planning Committees, and has been Convener of Culture and Leisure, in which capacity, in 2012, she opened the Ernest Levy Archive, a collection of documents, photos, and testimonies by and about Chazzan Ernest Levy’s experiences during the Holocaust and his work with young people to promote tolerance and understanding. She has previously worked as parliamentary assistant to MSP, and as an actress in Australia, where she was born and brought up. She is a board member of the Edinburgh International Festival Council, the Centre for the Moving Image, and Creative Edinburgh.

Responsibilities and contact details SNP Westminster Group Leader on Scottish Parliament and Government Liaison telephone: 020 7219 6647 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/deidrebrock facebook: www.facebook.com/DeidreBrockSNP

Alan Brown (Kilmarnock & Loudoun, SNP) Alan Brown has been a councillor on East Ayrshire Council for the last eight years, and has been SNP Spokesperson for Strategic Planning and Resources, and Housing. He works as a civil engineer.

Contact details telephone: 020 7219 6093 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/alanbrownsnp facebook: www.facebook.com/AlanBrown4KilmarnockandLoudoun

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Lisa Cameron (East Kilbride, Strathaven & Lesmahagow, SNP) is an NHS consultant working with patients who have mental health problems and learning difficulties, and an Expert Witness in the Scottish Courts in cases of childhood sexual abuse and domestic violence. She is also a Union representative. During the election campaign she was attacked by Gilad Atzmon for being among the “Sabbos Goyim operating within British politics … willing to sacrifice freedom of expression to please their paymasters after she wrote that the “democratic State of Israel is not an ‘apartheid state’ and must not be described as one.”

Responsibilities and contact details SNP Westminster Spokesperson on Climate Justice telephone: 020 7219 6855 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/lisacameronsnp facebook: www.facebook.com/lisacameronsnp

Alistair Carmichael (Orkney & Shetland, Liberal Democrat) Alistair Carmichael has been an MP since 2001, and was Secretary of State for Scotland from 2013 until the General Election. He has previously been Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland, , and Transport. He has admitted leaking a memo during the election campaign claiming that the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, was hoping for a Conservative victory, in consequence of which a number of people have called for his resignation. He has described antisemitism as “absolutely abhorrent”. As a Minister, Alistair Carmichael did not sign any EDMs during the last parliament, and neither spoke nor voted in the debate on Israel and Palestine in October 2014 that called for “[recognising] the state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel as a contribution to securing a negotiated two state solution”. Prior to that he signed a number of EDMs critical of Israel, and made a number of statements about Israel having applied collective punishment in Gaza. He visited the West Bank and Gaza in 2007, a trip which he described as “eye- opening”, after which he called for the removal of Israeli settlements but condemned the firing of Qassam rockets towards Sderot, and said that he was not “an apologist for Hamas”. He has signed several EDMs relating to the Holocaust, and signed the Holocaust Educational Trust Book of Commitment in 2015.

Responsibilities and contact details telephone: 020 7219 8181 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/acarmichaelmp website: www.alistaircarmichael.co.uk

Contents Constituency List 7 Scottish Council of Jewish Communities 7 May 2015

Douglas Chapman (Dunfermline & West Fife, SNP) Douglas Chapman has been a councillor on for the last sixteen years, and has been Education Spokesperson for COSLA. He has previously worked as a parliamentary assistant to MSP, as a campaign manager for the SNP, in banking and personnel management. In 2013 he apologised to the son of a Holocaust survivor after making comments that compared his plans for a housing development to a concentration camp.

Contact details telephone: 020 7219 6888 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/dougchapmansnp facebook: www.facebook.com/DougChapmanSNP

Joanna Cherry (Edinburgh South West, SNP) is a QC and specialist prosecutor in cases relating to sex crimes. She is a founder of “Lawyers for Independence”.

Responsibilities and contact details SNP Westminster Group Leader on Justice and Home Affairs telephone: 020 7219 6646 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/joannaccherry facebook: www.facebook.com/JoannaCherryQC

Ronnie Cowan (Inverclyde, SNP) Ronnie Cowan currently runs an IT business.

Contact details telephone: 020 7219 6122 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/ronniecowan facebook: www.facebook.com/RonnieForInverclyde website: www.ronniecowan.com

Angela Crawley (Lanark & Hamilton East, SNP) has been a councillor on Council for the last three years. She is currently studying for a law degree, and has previously worked as parliamentary assistant to Bruce Crawford MSP and MSP.

Contents Constituency List 8 Scottish Council of Jewish Communities 8 May 2015

Angela Crawley: Responsibilities and contact details SNP Westminster Spokesperson on Equalities, Women and Children SNP National Executive Member; National Convener Youth Wing telephone: 020 7219 6044 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/AngelaCrawleyMP facebook: www.facebook.com/AngelaCrawleyforWestminster

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Martyn Day (Linlithgow & Falkirk East, SNP) has been a councillor on Council for the last sixteen years. He is a member of SNP Friends of Palestine.

Contact details telephone: 020 7219 5930 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/MartynDaySNP facebook: www.facebook.com/MartynDay.Scot

Martin Docherty (Dunbartonshire West, SNP) Martin Docherty currently works for Volunteer Scotland and has previously worked for West Dunbartonshire Council. He is a member of SNP Friends of Palestine.

Contact details telephone: 020 7219 4609 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/martinjdocherty facebook: www.facebook.com/DochertySNPWestDun

Stuart Donaldson (Aberdeenshire West & Kincardine, SNP) Stuart Donaldson is currently parliamentary assistant to MSP, and has a particular interest in farming, and oil and gas. His mother, , is Minister of Public Health in the Scottish Government.

Contact details telephone: 020 7219 4618 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/StuBDonaldson facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Stuart-Donaldson-for-West- Aberdeenshire-Kincardine/385534454957920

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Marion Fellows (Motherwell & Wishaw, SNP) has been a councillor on Council for the last three years, and works as a business studies teacher in further education.

Responsibilities and contact details SNP Westminster Whip telephone: 020 7219 5784 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/marion53f facebook: www.facebook.com/marionfellows website: http://marionfellows.org/

Margaret Ferrier (Rutherglen & Hamilton West, SNP) Margaret Ferrier is a community councillor. She has previously worked as Commercial Sales Manager of a construction company, and as a volunteer for the Citizens Advice Bureau. She is a member of Amnesty.

Responsibilities and contact details SNP Westminster Spokesperson on the Scotland Office telephone: 020 7219 5278 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/mgtferriersnp facebook: www.facebook.com/MgtFerrierSNP

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Stephen Gethins (Fife North East, SNP) was previously Special Advisor on European and international affairs to the Scottish First Minister, Alex Salmond, and Political Advisor with the Committee of the Regions in the European Union. He has also worked in worked in peace-building, arms control and democratisation in the Caucasus and Balkans, , and Nagorno-Karabakh.

Responsibilities and contact details SNP Westminster Spokesperson on Europe telephone: 020 7219 5671 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/stephengethins facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Stephen-Gethins- MP/1532665740317736

Contents Constituency List 10 Scottish Council of Jewish Communities 10 May 2015

Patricia Gibson (Ayrshire North & Arran, SNP) is an English teacher. She has previously been a councillor on , and has been SNP Spokesperson in Greater Glasgow education authority. She is married to Kenneth Gibson MSP.

Contact details telephone: 020 7219 5748 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/pgibsonsnp facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Patricia-Gibson-for-North- Ayrshire-Arran/321010964762603

Patrick Grady (Glasgow North, SNP) has worked in the charity sector, and has a strong interest in international development.

Responsibility and contact details SNP National Secretary SNP Westminster Spokesperson on International Development telephone: 020 7219 6398 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/gradysnp facebook: www.facebook.com/GradyGlasgowNorth website: www.patrickgrady.scot

Peter Grant (Glenrothes, SNP) has been a councillor on Fife Council for 23 years, and was Council Leader from 2007 to 2012. He has previously worked in public sector finance.

Contact details telephone: 020 7219 6349 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/PeterGrantMP facebook: www.facebook.com/petergrantsnp

Contents Constituency List 11 Scottish Council of Jewish Communities 11 May 2015

Neil Gray (Airdrie & Shotts, SNP) is currently office manager for MSP, and was previously a journalist with the BBC and on a number of local newspapers.

Contact details telephone: 020 7219 8787 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/NeilGrayMP facebook: www.facebook.com/NeilGraySNP

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Drew Hendry (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey, SNP) has been a councillor on Council for the last five years, and has been Council Leader since 2012. He has previously worked as Director in a multinational company, and founded and is the Chairman of a digital marketing company.

Responsibilities and contact details SNP Westminster Group Leader on Transport telephone: 020 7219 6118 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/drewhendrysnp facebook: www.facebook.com/DrewHendrySNP2015

Stewart Hosie (Dundee East, SNP) has been an MP since 2005. He previously worked in the IT industry. He is married to the Scottish Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Sport, MSP. He has campaigned against Israel’s use of “disproportionate force” against Gaza, and has said that every Palestinian child killed by Israel will be “the recruiting sergeant for every armed Islamicist group on the face of the planet.” He has signed a number of EDMs that are critical of Israel, including one condemning the JNF. In the debate on Israel and Palestine in October 2014, he spoke and voted in favour of “[recognising] the state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel as a contribution to securing a negotiated two state solution”. Between 2005 and 2009, he signed a small number of EDMs relating to the Holocaust, and in a debate in 2008 said that the voices of Holocaust survivors must continue to be heard.

Contents Constituency List 12 Scottish Council of Jewish Communities 12 May 2015

Stewart Hosie : Responsibilities and contact details SNP Deputy Leader (overall – not only at Westminster) SNP Westminster Group Leader on the Economy telephone: 020 7219 8164 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/stewarthosiesnp facebook: www.facebook.com/StewartHosieSNP website: http://stewarthosie.com

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George Kerevan (East Lothian, SNP) George Kerevan has worked as a journalist, including as Associate Editor of newspaper, a university lecturer, and chairman of the Edinburgh Tourist Board. Before moving to the SNP, he served for twelve years as a Labour councillor on Edinburgh City Council. While criticising continued Israeli occupation of Gaza and the West Bank, he has opposed academic boycotts of Israel as a threat to academic freedom, and has written several sympathetic articles about Israel’s regional concerns.

Contact details telephone: 020 7219 6770 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/georgekerevan facebook: www.facebook.com/KerevanEastLothianMP

Calum Kerr (Berwickshire, Roxburgh & Selkirk, SNP) currently works for a telecommunications company and is also a Director of Citizens Advice Direct.

Responsibilities and contact details SNP Westminster Group Leader on the Environment and Rural Affairs telephone: 020 7219 8729 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/calumrkerr facebook: www.facebook.com/CalumKerrSNP website: www.calumkerr.scot

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Chris Law (Dundee West, SNP) works in the financial sector. During the independence referendum campaign, he led the “Spirit of Independence” road tour of communities in a refurbished fire engine.

Contact details telephone: 020 7219 6917 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/chrislawsnp facebook: www.facebook.com/ChrisLawSNP website: http://chrislaw.scot

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Callum McCaig (Aberdeen South, SNP) Callum McCaig has been a councillor on Aberdeen City Council for the last five years, and is currently the leader of the SNP Group. He previously held posts as convener of the Licensing Committee and convener of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee and became council leader in 2011 at the age of 26. He has previously worked as parliamentary assistant to Maureen Watt MSP.

Responsibilities and contact details SNP Westminster Group Leader on Energy and telephone: 020 7219 8789 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/callum_mccaig facebook: www.facebook.com/CallumMcCaigSNP

Stewart McDonald (Glasgow South, SNP) Stewart McDonald has worked as parliamentary assistant to MSP, and as a tour guide. He is a member of SNP Friends of Palestine, and wore a Scotland/Palestine flag pin when taking his oath as an MP. He is reported as having said “The Palestinian issue was one of the things that brought me into politics. It's one of the biggest injustices still going on today”, that Netanyahu should face a war crimes tribunal, and that Israel is an apartheid state. He supports a BDS campaign against Israel.

Contact details telephone: 020 7219 6388 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/stewartmcdonald facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Stewart-McDonald- MP/829281410428713

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Stuart McDonald (Cumbernauld, Kilsyth & Kirkintilloch East, SNP) Stuart McDonald currently works for an anti-racism charity, and has previously worked as senior researcher in the “” independence referendum campaign, as parliamentary assistant to Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP and MSP, and as a solicitor for the NHS.

Responsibilities and contact details SNP Westminster Spokesperson on Immigration, Asylum and Border Control telephone: 020 7219 7758 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/stuartmcd_snp facebook: www.facebook.com/StuMcD.SNP

Natalie McGarry (Glasgow East, SNP) Natalie McGarry works in the voluntary sector, and is a co-founder of “”. Her aunt, MSP, is the Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament. She is a member of SNP Friends of Palestine.

Responsibilities and contact details SNP Westminster Spokesperson on Disabilities telephone: 020 7219 6421 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/nataliemcgarry facebook: www.facebook.com/NatalieForGlasgowEast website: www.nataliemcgarry.scot

Anne McLaughlin (Glasgow North East, SNP) Anne McLaughlin was an MSP from 2009 to 2011, and previously worked as a parliamentary assistant to MSP. She is a member of SNP Friends of Palestine. As a member of the Scottish Parliament Public Petitions Committee, she described support for Israeli technology as “[collusion] in the routine testing of new weapons on the imprisoned Palestinian people … and the technological edge that enables Israel to kill over 1,400 people in Gaza at little risk to those carrying this out.” In reference to Israel, she also commented ““It won’t do us any harm as a nation to restrict our trading to countries that are not committing human rights atrocities.” She signed a number of Motions about Holocaust Memorial Day and Holocaust education.

Responsibilities and contact details SNP Westminster Spokesperson on Civil Liberties telephone: 020 7219 6397 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/annemclaughlin facebook: www.facebook.com/AnneMcLaughlinforGNE

Contents Constituency List 15 Scottish Council of Jewish Communities 15 May 2015

John McNally (Falkirk, SNP) John McNally has been a councillor on Falkirk Council for the last ten years.

Contact details telephone: 020 7219 6525 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/johnmcnallymp facebook: www.facebook.com/JohnMcNallyMP website: http://johnny4falkirk.scot/

Angus MacNeil (Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Western Isles), SNP) Angus MacNeil has been an MP since 2001. He is a crofter, and has previously worked as a BBC journalist, and a teacher. He has signed a number of EDMs critical of Israel, including one condemning the JNF, and has been a signatory to a number of open letters published in the media that have called for Israel to end military strikes against Gaza, and to end the blockade of Gaza. He did not speak in the debate on Israel and Palestine in October 2014, but voted in favour of “[recognising] the state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel as a contribution to securing a negotiated two state solution.” In an earlier debate he referred to Israel as a country whose “behaviour is beyond the pale for a democracy”. He signed the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Book of Commitment in 2014, and has supported several EDMs relating to the Holocaust.

Contact details telephone: 01851 702272 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/AngusMacNeilSNP facebook: www.facebook.com/AngusBMacNeil

Carol Monaghan (Glasgow North West, SNP) has previously worked as a secondary school teacher, and an advisor to the Scottish Qualifications Authority.

Responsibilities and contact details SNP Westminster Group Leader on Public Services and Education telephone: 020 7219 6396 e-mail: [email protected] twitter; https://twitter.com/CMonaghanMP facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Carol-Monaghan- MP/602811439846056

Contents Constituency List 16 Scottish Council of Jewish Communities 16 May 2015

Paul Monaghan (Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross, SNP) is currently the Director of Highland Homeless Trust, and a Board Member of UHI North Highland College. He has commented on twitter that it is “Sad to see the proud Jewish people, so hideously persecuted by the Nazis, now persecuting the people of #Gaza.”

Contact details telephone: 020 7219 8485 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/_paulmonaghan facebook: www.facebook.com/DrPaulMonaghanSNP website: http://paulmonaghan.scot/

Roger Mullin (Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath, SNP) , who is a former vice-convener of the SNP, is an honorary professor of Management Work and Organisation at the , and works as a freelance education consultant.

Responsibilities and contact details SNP Westminster Spokesperson on the Treasury telephone: 020 7219 6069 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/rogmull facebook: www.facebook.com/roger.mullin1 website: www.rogermullin.co.uk

David Mundell (Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweeddale, Conservative) has been an MP since 2005, and was an MSP from 1999 to 2005. As Under Secretary of State for Scotland during the last Parliament, David Mundell was not able to sign any EDMs, but prior to that, he signed a number of Holocaust-related EDMs. He has signed the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Book of Commitment in the House of Commons, and has said that he “encourage[s] all constituents to mark [Holocaust Memorial] day and to join members of my community in the fight against prejudice and intolerance.” In a written answer earlier this year, he said that the government “deplore all religious and racially-motivated attacks and [that] there is no place for anti-Semitism in our country.

Responsibilities and contact details Secretary of State for Scotland telephone: 020 7219 4895 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidMundellDCT website: www.davidmundell.com

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Ian Murray (Edinburgh South, Labour) Ian Murray has been an MP since 2010. He has been a member of the Environmental Audit, Arms Export Controls, and Business, Innovation and Skills Committees, and has been Shadow Trade and Investment Minister. He has previously worked as an events manager. Ian Murray is a member of Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East, and visited Gaza in 2011. He has signed very few EDMs, but these include several critical of Israel, including one condemning the JNF, and one relating to the Holocaust. He did not speak in the debate on Israel and Palestine in October 2014, but voted in favour of “[recognising] the state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel as a contribution to securing a negotiated two state solution”. He has asked a number of parliamentary questions that have referred to Israel’s “disproportionate response” and “use of collective punishment” in Gaza.

Responsibilities and contact details Labour Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland telephone: 020 7219 7064 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/IanMurrayMP facebook: www.facebook.com/IanMurrayMP website: www.ianmurraymp.co.uk

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Gavin Newlands (Paisley & Renfrewshire North, SNP) is a community councillor, and works in the restaurant industry.

Contact details telephone: 020 7219 5583 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/gavnewlandssnp facebook: www.facebook.com/GavinNewlandsMP

John Nicolson (Dunbartonshire East, SNP) is a former speechwriter for the American senator Daniel Moynihan, and a former BBC journalist. He presented BBC News 24's live coverage of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York.

Contact details telephone: 020 7219 6857 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/mrjohnnicolson facebook: www.facebook.com/JohnN.SNP

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Brendan O’Hara (Argyll & Bute, SNP) Brendan O’Hara is a television reporter who has worked for the BBC and Sky, and has previously worked for Glasgow District Council. During the election campaign, he faced a petition calling for his removal as a candidate on account of his repeated use of sectarian language on a football-related online forum.

Responsibilities and contact details SNP Westminster Group Leader on Defence telephone: 020 7219 8783 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/brendanoharasnp facebook: www.facebook.com/BrendanOHaraSNP

Kirsten Oswald (Renfrewshire East, SNP) has previously worked in Human Resources in the Further Education sector. She attended a local Holocaust Memorial Day service in 2015.

Responsibilities and contact details SNP Spokesperson on the Armed Forces and Veterans telephone: 020 7219 6675 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/kirstenoswald facebook: www.facebook.com/KirstenOswaldEastRenfrewshire

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Steven Paterson (Stirling, SNP) has been a councillor on Stirling Council for the last eight years. He has previously worked as a parliamentary assistant to Bruce Crawford MSP, and in press and media relations.

Contact details telephone: 020 7219 4356 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/steven4stirling facebook: www.facebook.com/StevenForStirling website: www.stevenforstirling.com

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Angus Robertson (Moray, SNP) has been an MP since 2001, SNP Westminster leader since 2007, and previously Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Defence. He has expressed dismay at the levels of hatred experienced by Jews in Scotland over the past year, and stated that “any growth in antisemitism is quite simply unacceptable.” He has also expressed support for Holocaust education. He has signed a small number of EDMs critical of Israel. He did not speak in the debate on Israel and Palestine in October 2014, but voted in favour of “[recognising] the state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel as a contribution to securing a negotiated two state solution”, and tweeted that he was “delighted” that all other SNP MPs had done the same.

Responsibilities and contact details SNP Westminster Leader SNP Westminster Group Leader on the Constitution telephone: 020 7219 8259 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/AngusRobertson facebook: www.facebook.com/angusrobertsonmorayMP website: www.angusrobertson.org/

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Alex Salmond (Gordon, SNP) Alex Salmond is currently also an MSP. He is the former leader of the SNP, including during the 2014 Independence Referendum, and was previously an MP between 1987 and 2007. He has been supportive of the Jewish community in Scotland and has publicly condemned antisemitism on a number of occasions, most recently in August 2014 when he said “we will not tolerate any form of racial or religious prejudice … the full force of the law [will] be brought down on the perpetrators of any antisemitic incidents in Scotland.” He has actively supported Holocaust education, and Holocaust Memorial Day. Alex Salmond has been strongly critical of Israeli government policy, including on “Question Time” in 2010 when he commented "You can't have normal relationships if you believe another country has been involved in what Israel has been involved in”. He has also called for the cessation of arms sales to Israel, and, during his time as an MP, he signed a substantial number of EDMs critical of Israel.

Responsibilities and contact details SNP Westminster Group Leader on International Affairs and Europe telephone: 020 7219 6335 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/alexsalmond facebook: www.facebook.com/AlexSalmond

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Tommy Sheppard (Edinburgh East, SNP) was formerly Assistant General Secretary of the Labour Party and Deputy Leader of the Scottish Labour Party, and has been a Labour councillor and deputy leader on Hackney Council. He set up and runs the Stand Comedy Club.

Responsibilities and contact details SNP Westminster Spokesperson on the telephone: 020 7219 6653 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/tommysheppard facebook: www.facebook.com/TommySheppardSNP website: www.tommysheppard.com

Christopher Stephens (Glasgow South West, SNP) Christopher Stephens works for Glasgow City Council, and is a long-time UNISON activist. He is a member of SNP Friends of Palestine.

Responsibilities and contact details SNP National Executive Committee Member telephone: 020 7219 6381 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/ChrisStephens facebook: www.facebook.com/ChrisforGlasgowSouthWest website: www.chrisstephenssnp.blogspot.co.uk

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Alison Thewliss (Glasgow Central, SNP) Alison Thewlis has been a councillor on Glasgow City Council for the last eight years, and SNP Spokesperson on Land and Environmental Services.

Responsibilities and contact details SNP Westminster Spokesperson on Cities telephone: 020 7219 6447 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/alisonthewliss facebook: www.facebook.com/glasgowcentralsnp

Contents Constituency List 21 Scottish Council of Jewish Communities 21 May 2015

Owen Thompson (Midlothian, SNP) has been a councillor on Midlothian Council for the last ten years, and Council Leader for the last two years. He has previously worked as parliamentary assistant to Clare Adamson MSP and Rob Gibson MSP, and prior to that, in the financial industry.

Responsibilities and contact details SNP Westminster Whip Telephone: 020 7219 5841 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/OwenThompson facebook: www.facebook.com/owen4mid

Michelle Thomson (Edinburgh West, SNP) has previously worked as a professional musician, and as an IT specialist in the financial sector.

Responsibilities and contact details SNP Westminster Group Leader on Business, Innovation and Skills telephone: 020 7219 6626 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/michellethomson facebook: www.facebook.com/MichelleThomsonEdi

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Mike Weir (Angus, SNP) has been an MP since 2001. He has been a member of the Scottish Affairs, Trade and Industry, and Energy and Climate Change Select Committees, and has been SNP spokesman for Trade, Industry, Business, Energy and Climate Change, and Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. He has signed a large number of EDMs critical of Israel, including one condemning the JNF, and has been a signatory to a number of open letters published in the media that have called for Israel to end military strikes against Gaza, and to end the blockade of Gaza. He did not speak in the debate on Israel and Palestine in October 2014, but voted in favour of “[recognising] the state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel as a contribution to securing a negotiated two state solution”. Between 2001 and 2009, he signed a small number of EDMs relating to the Holocaust, and one condemning antisemitism in the UK.

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Mike Weir: Responsibilities and contact details SNP Westminster Chief Whip telephone: 020 7219 8125 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/mikeweirsnp facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Mike-Weir- MP/656168011164948 website: http://angussnp.org/

Eilidh Whiteford (Banff & Buchan, SNP) has been an MP since 2010. She has been a member of the Scottish Affairs Committee, and has been SNP spokesman for International Development, Women, Work and Pensions, and Agriculture and Fisheries. Prior to her election, she worked with Oxfam. She has signed an EDM about tackling antisemitism, as well as several that were critical of Israel. She responded to a Ministerial statement during Operation Cast Lead to the effect that “the actions of Israel have had a disproportionate impact on civilians”. She did not speak in the debate on Israel and Palestine in October 2014, but voted in favour of “[recognising] the state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel as a contribution to securing a negotiated two state solution”.

Responsibilities and contact details SNP Westminster Group Leader on Social Justice and Welfare telephone: 020 7219 7005 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/eilidhwhiteford facebook: www.facebook.com/DrEilidhWhiteford website: www.eilidhwhiteford.info

Philippa Whitford (Ayrshire Central, SNP) is a consultant surgeon working in the NHS. She worked as a medical volunteer in a UN hospital in Gaza in 1991-2 (during the first intifada), and in Southern Lebanon with Medical Aid for Palestinians. She has spoken about the lack of access to healthcare in Gaza in the context of appreciating, and campaigning against cuts in the NHS.

Responsibilities and contact details SNP Westminster Group Leader on Health telephone: 020 7219 8158 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/P_Whitford_MP facebook: www.facebook.com/Philippa.Whitford.political website: http://whitford.scot/

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Corri Wilson (Ayr, Carrick & Cumnock, SNP) has been a councillor on Council for the last three years and is currently SNP Group Whip, and spokesperson for Customer Services (previously Social Services). She has previously worked in the Civil Service, and currently runs an event management and business support company.

Contact details telephone: 020 7219 8781 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/CorriWilsonSNP facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Corri-Wilson- MP/1408188762812438

Pete Wishart (Perth & North Perthshire, SNP) has been an MP since 2001, and has previously been Chief Whip, and Spokesperson for Transport, Rural Affairs, Culture, Media and Sport, Constitution, Overseas Aid, Home Affairs, Justice, and International Development. He was previously a member of the Labour Party. He is a rock musician who has played with the iconic Scottish bands and . He has also worked in the voluntary sector. He has signed a significant number of EDMs critical of Israel, including one condemning the JNF. He did not speak in the debate on Israel and Palestine in October 2014, but voted in favour of “[recognising] the state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel as a contribution to securing a negotiated two state solution”. During a debate on the Counter- Terrorism and Security Bill in December 2014, Pete Wishart stated that one cause of people becoming radicalised and engaging in extremist activity was “the injustices that they observe in Palestine”. He has signed several EDMs relating to the Holocaust.

Responsibilities and contact details SNP Westminster Group Leader of the House of Commons telephone: 020 7219 8303 e-mail: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/petewishart facebook: www.facebook.com/PeteWishartPerth websites: www.petewishartmp.com and https://petewishart.wordpress.com

Contents Constituency List 24 Scottish Council of Jewish Communities 24 May 2015 Useful Links UK Parliament: MPs http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/mps/

SNP http://www.snp.org/

Scottish Labour Party http://www.scottishlabour.org.uk/

Scottish Conservative Party http://www.scottishconservatives.com/

Scottish Liberal Democrat Party http://www.scotlibdems.org.uk/

Conservative Friends of Israel https://cfoi.co.uk/

Labour Friends of Israel http://www.lfi.org.uk/

Liberal Democrat Friends of Israel http://ldfi.org.uk/

All-Party Group Against Antisemitism http://antisemitism.org.uk/

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